FanNation - The Republic of Sport

In our world of instant gratitude and constant updates, we want to know information and results the moment they happen. This could not be truer anywhere more so than in the baseball world.

Gone are the days of drafting unknown high school and college players and storing them in obscure minor-league towns around the country, only to have them resurface three or four years later. Between the expanding coverage of college baseball (long overdue) and the new coverage of the MLB first-year player draft, the coverage of prospects and their progress is at an all-time high and is continuing to grow.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the early returns of this year’s top draftees. Many have signed, and are getting their first taste of professional baseball. While the sample sizes are small and judgments should be held at a minimum, it is nonetheless fun to keep tabs on the players we hope to one day see play for our favorite major league teams.

#1 Tim Beckham – Tampa Bay Rays

• Level: Rookie (Appalachian League) – Princeton Devil Rays
• Offense: 13 G, .191/.264/.213, 4 BB/10 K, 1 2B
• Defense: 8 G @ SS – 5 E

Unlike most prep players, Rays top pick Tim Beckham didn’t start out in the Gulf Coast League, but rather a half-step up in the Appalachian League. Beckham is having a rough go of things in the early start, but that is to be expected for a high school player picked first overall trying to deal with the accompanying fanfare.

#6 Kyle Skipworth – Florida Marlins

• Level: Rookie (Gulf Coast League) – GCL Marlins
• Offense: 13 G, .149/.184/.149, 2 BB/18 K, 0 XBH
• Defense: 9 G @ C, 1 E/2 PB, 7 of 18 CS (38.8%)

Again a prep player struggling in his debut is nothing to lose sleep over, especially when it is coupled with the difficulty of trying to learn how to manage a pitching staff. Throwing out 38% of base runners isn’t a bad start either.

#10 Jason Castro – Houston Astros

• Level: Short-season (New York-Penn League) – Tri-City Valley Cats
• 1 Game, 1 PA, 1 BB, 0 GM @ C

Castro hasn’t even gotten his feet wet yet, but as a more polished player coming out of Stanford, it appears the Astros want to give Castro the rest of this year in short-season as a way to gauge where to start him for his first full season of pro ball. Keep an eye on him to see how soon his timetable for the Astros might be.

#12 Jemile Weeks – Oakland A’s

• Level: A (Midwest League) – Kane County Cougars
• Offense: 6 G, .100/.379/.100, 8 BB/ 3 K, 0 XBH
• Defense: 6 G @ 2B – 2 E

The A’s have thrown Weeks, the former Hurricane standout, into the fire of the Midwest league. While he hasn’t produced offensively just yet, he does appear to be embracing the A’s organizational philosophy of plate discipline, with eight walks in six games thus far. If nothing else, that’s a good way to stay in good graces with Billy Beane.

#13 Brett Wallace – St. Louis Cardinals

• Level: A (Midwest League) – Quad City River Bandits
• Offense: 11 G, .324/.468/.568, 6 BB/6 K, 3 2B, 2 HR
• Defense: 10 G @ 3B – 2E

Wallace doesn’t appear to be having any trouble adjusting to wood bats or professional pitching, as he is displaying power to go along with a high batting average and strong plate discipline. He’s even holding his own at 3B after being drafted as a guy who could eventually be shifted over to 1B.

#14 Aaron Hicks – Minnesota Twins

• Level: Rookie (Gulf Coast League) – GCL Twins
• Offense: 17 G, .309/.405/.412, 11 BB/ 16 K, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR
• Defense: 16 G @ OF (13 in Center)

Hicks was drafted out of high school, but it wasn’t immediately known whether he would hit or pitch. He’s hitting right now, and the early returns of the Twins decision are good.

#15 Ethan Martin – Los Angeles Dodgers

• Signed but has not played yet.

#17 David Cooper – Blue Jays

• Level: A (Midwest League) – Lansing Lugnuts
• Offense: 27 G, .336/.408/.514, 13 BB/ 17 K, 11 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR
• Defense: 21 G @ 1b – 0 E

Cooper has done so well to start his career that he has already received a promotion. The Blue Jays originally started him at Auburn in the New York-Penn League, but he didn’t appear to be challenged as he posted a .964 OPS through 21 games. Only his power suffered when he joined the Midwest League (only one extra base hit in six games) but he’s still hitting and reaching base consistently.

#18 Ike Davis – New York Mets

• Signed but has not played yet.

#21 Ryan Perry – Detroit Tigers

• Signed but has not played yet

#22 Reese Havens – New York Mets

• Level: Short-Season (New York-Penn League) – Brooklyn Cyclones
• Offense: 14 G, .273/.385/.509, 9 BB/16 K, 4 2B, 3 HR
• Defense: 14 G @ SS – 0 E

Havens has not made an error in his first 14 games at short stop as a professional. Sure he’s a college player coming out of the SEC (Univ. of South Carolina), but that kind of consistency at the start of a career in such a high profile defensive position is sure to grab the attention of the Mets front office. Adding to it is seven extra-base hits in his first 14 games. Havens is off to a nice start.

#24 Anthony Hewitt – Philadelphia Phillies

• Level: Rookie (Gulf Coast League) GCL Phillies
• Offense: 1 Game – 0 for 5 with 4 K’s

Ouch. That’s not the start anybody wants to see. Sure it’s only a game, but the Phillies know they have a project in front of them with Hewitt. A player with all the tools in the world, his talent is raw, making his first game not completely unexpected and his placement in the Gulf Coast League a perfect place for him to hone his game without the pressures of winning ballgames or having to entertain large crowds. For the optimist in all of us, it has to be uphill from here.

#25 Christian Friedrich – Colorado Rockies

• Level: A (Northwest League) – Tri-City Dust Devils
• Pitching: 2 GS, 0-0, 10.50 ERA, 6 IP, 4 BB/5 K

Friedrich, all the way down at the 25th pick, is the highest drafted pitcher to make his debut. It hasn’t been a pretty start. He’s made two starts but has only pitched six innings. Pitchers often have a longer adjustment period as they soon find they can’t get away with many of the mistakes they made at the college level.

#27 Carlos Gutierrez – Minnesota Twins

• Level: High A (Florida State League) – Fort Myers Miracle
• Pitching: 1 G, 1 IP, 2 K’s, 1 WP

Gutierrez made the jump from the U. of Miami to the Florida State League, which the Twins feel he was ready to handle. One inning is hard to tell anything from, but 2 K’s show that he does show swing and miss stuff.

#29 Lonnie Chisenhall – Cleveland Indians

• Level: Short-Season (New York-Penn League) – Mahoning Valley Scrappers
• Offense: 23 G, .240/.309/.380, 7 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 9 BB/ 12 K
• Defense: 21 G @ SS – 8 E

Inconstant play is to be expected from a high school shortstop, and Chisenhall is displaying it both at the plate and in the field. He has shown flashes of power – good power for a 19-year-old prep player, but hasn’t yet put it all together. Luckily he’s only a month into his career and signed early enough to get a lot of experience this season.